Discount Tire...

[brutal]

Discount stopped treating me like the 20 year repeat customer I was some years ago.

I have since patronized the local Big-O franchised guys and get treated like an adult. I even, at their suggestion because they could not cost effectively source them, bought the last set of truck tires from Discount Online (Tire Rack was a bit more) and had Big-O mount and certificate them. If they are $100 more than Discount I will still use Big-O. They fix flats for free no questions asked, have fixed flats and installed new high pressure valve stems on my trailer tires for free, etc. Of course, they got my business when it was time to replace 5 trailer tires, boat trailer tires, etc.

They can also balance a damn tire and charge less for winter/summer swaps. They also do some decent wrenching and a perfect alignment on my RAM.

[mackbamf]

so what you're really saying is you drove out of a tire dealer without checking to see if the proper tires were installed?

Yes, silly me for expecting them to know what they were doing. Oh the shame...

[sniper7]

so what you're really saying is you drove out of a tire dealer without checking to see if the proper tires were installed?

do you check your oil at every gas fill up? do you lube the chassis and suspension at every oil change, do you check your tire pressure before every day of driving? do you check the oil filter and oil drain plug tightness if you get your oil changed? Did you make sure they used an OEM approved oil and filter? What about spark plugs, did you check the gaps on those when you got your car a tune up?

[funkymonkey1111]

do you check your oil at every gas fill up? do you lube the chassis and suspension at every oil change, do you check your tire pressure before every day of driving? do you check the oil filter and oil drain plug tightness if you get your oil changed? Did you make sure they used an OEM approved oil and filter? What about spark plugs, did you check the gaps on those when you got your car a tune up?

maybe you could explain how checking oil at a fill up or checking air pressure before driving is even remotely analagous to checking to see what tire you paid for at the tire dealer is what was installed on the car. do you open a gun box before you walk out of the gun store, or is that an unrequired "audit?"

[T-Giv]

I've had good luck with Discount tire. They even do a lot of the little stuff for free...patch nail holes and what not.

[streetglideok]

Considering the profit margin on tires, and what they have to pay their staff, you can not expect a lot from them. Some shops will be better run, and take better care of their equipment while others just go thru the motions. I've never had tires roadforce balanced, but considering the material used in the roads here and how fast it eats rubber compared to other areas of the country, you would need those tires constantly balanced to get anything from it. I throw it in there with nitrogen in the tires.

[Colorado Osprey]

I've had the exact opposite experience at the Discount Tire store at Belleview and Wads, fortunately..

Great store... one of the most successful Discount Tires in the country. Great management as well. I would recommend them as well.

I have since patronized the local Big-O franchised guys and get treated like an adult..

Which store do you use. I trained most of the managers and owners in the Denver and surrounding area in the 90's.

Big O thrives on making customers first. Not just saying it. Generally you won't go wrong there. Also, the management at Big O knows how to re-calibrate their balancing equipment and does so regularly.

It is possible that the tires were balanced right and you have a bad tire or maybe a few.... it does happen from all makes.

[Gman]

I've never had a negative experience like that from Discount Tire. Just had a new set of Michelin MXM4 Primacy put on the car on Sat. morning. 3rd set I've purchased from the HR store.

It's an amazing tire by the way. Big-O's price was $57 higher per tire.

[mtnhack]

I have two terrible experiences with discount in Fort Collins.

Mine: I refused the road hazard after he gave me a "killer deal" and that infuriated him. After 1 week of increasing issues, I took it to the other location and they said the first store didn't balance any of the wheels and 2 were so far off the tires would have been toast by the first rotation (if I would have been so oblivious as to keep driving it).
Mngr at the other store claimed they have too much integrity to have vindictively sent me out without the balance. BS

Wife's: ( 6-8 months of pissing about with them. )
They mounted the wrong tires not once but twice (shredded one of the rear tires on the hwy doing 80)
They continually blamed the weight in her vehicle and a worn suspension for the sporadic rubbing on the wheel wells.
They sold her the rims, so the tire sizing choice was purely on them. (she wanted new rims to save $$ because there were so few 18s compared with 17s.

They did end up paying her back for the 2 replacements from the blowout incident, and the full price of the originals, and put on the new set (minus the price difference from her upgrade). However, she lost at least 3 full days of work dicking around with their excuses and blaming, not to mention having to go to a shop to have the suspension looked over. (that is who finally spotted the wrong tires widths)

[Colorado Osprey]

It's an amazing tire by the way. Big-O's price was $57 higher per tire.

If you would have told Big O, they would have price matched or beat Discounts prices.

What a lot of people don't know about the tire industry is prices are not for the most part fixed. You can ask for a better price and generally you will receive it. Don't get cocky and ask for an unrealistic price. Ask nice and ask if they can help you out a little on the price. Most will.